RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Democrats are criticizing Governor Glenn Youngkin for axing an item in the state budget that they say would have helped more Virginia families afford child care.
“Families don’t have the luxury of waiting for political perfection. This was needed yesterday,” Delegate Adele McClure (D-Arlington) told 8News.
Youngkin used his line-item veto power to remove a $25 million child care pilot program.
“There are a number of projects that are new in nature that I suggest that the General Assembly take them up in January,” Youngkin said on May 2.
The program would have created a public-private partnership to reimburse businesses that continue to contribute to qualified employees’ child care costs.
In his written veto statement, the governor said, “This effort is best considered in a bill and at a smaller scale to determine program effectiveness and scalability.”
“It’s not ready for primetime yet, and I do believe that some more work in the General Assembly in January will really bring it to the point where it can be launched and be very effective,” Youngkin said.
However, McClure said Youngkin is mistaken. She said the idea has been tested in other states and has been proven to bring down costs for working families.
“I actually built my idea based off of something that happened in Kentucky, so this is tested. A lot of people thought this was a great idea. It passed with significant bipartisan support. So the governor is wrong on that and he missed the mark, and he doesn’t want to own up to it,” McClure told 8News.
The proposal was also supported by the business community, with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce telling 8News in March that it would help businesses retain and recruit talent.
